Huntsville vs Little Rock
The short version
- Little Rock is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Huntsville area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $236,400 in Little Rock and $293,600 in Huntsville.
- Households earn more in Huntsville ($74,714 vs $63,003 median).
- Huntsville is growing faster: +8.7% since 2020 vs +1.9%.
Side by side
| Huntsville, AL | Little Rock, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 233,627 | 206,427 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.7% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,037 | 1,703 |
| Median age | 36.9 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 47% | 45% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $74,714 | $63,003 |
| Median home value | $293,600 | $236,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,171 | $1,106 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 93.1 | 89.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 77.9 | 68.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,800 | $67,000 |
| Homeowners | 58% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 5% | 3.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.46% | 9.48% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.7 | 18.5 |
| Work from home | 15% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.1% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% | 17.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 33° | 51° / 31° |
| July high / low | 92° / 71° | 92° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 54 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 62 | 76 |
| Nights below freezing | 56 | 50 |
| Comfortable months | 1 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 94.6 | 96.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 72% | 31% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.3% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +43% | +37.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Huntsville: October. Little Rock: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Huntsville weather by month and Little Rock weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,800 in Huntsville and $67,000 in Little Rock. Moving from Huntsville to Little Rock, you would need about $72,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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